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Affairs at the South.the news from the Potomac — a landlord Cowhided at New Orleans, &c.

Below will be found our summary from Southern papers:

Typhoid fever not the result of camp exposure.

The ‘"Army of the Potomac"’ correspondent of the Augusta (Ga.)Constitutional st, writing under date of Oct. 14, has the following paragraph in regard to the prevalence of that dreadful disease, typhoid fever, which has been so fatal among our troops:

‘
An incident which came under my own observation a few days ago, would seem to justify the conclusion, that the typhoid fever, which has prevailed to so great an extent among the troops, is not the result of camp life so much as of a peculiar condition of the atmosphere.
I had occasion last week to visit a retired farm-house, in company with Dr. Steiner, of your city, who is attached to Gen. Toombs' Brigade as a volunteer.
While there, we learned that the family consisted of eight whites and seven blacks, and that of the whites, five had had the fever, and of the blacks, four, Other families through the country had suffered in like manner, and some to the same extent.
The neighborhood was represented to have been exempt from the fever heretofore, except a few scattering cases, in as many years.
This particular family was living some distance from the camps, and had had no intercourse with them, except when a soldier might call to purchase some little article.
If this be true, it would seem that, while the fever may have been aggravated by, yet it has not been the result, of the habits and exposure incident to camp life.

’

Whereabouts of the steamer Nashville.

The Charleston Mercury, of the 18th, contains the following paragraph in regard to the whereabouts of the steamer Nashville:

‘
The Petersburg Express confidentially informs its readers that the steamer Nashville last week ran the blockade at Charleston, and is now on her way to Europe, with a cargo even more valuable than cotton.
Our usually correct contemporary, the Savannah News, chides the Express for its rash disclosure, and adds that it (the News) was aware of the Nashville having sailed, several days ago, but patriotically suppressed all mention of so tempting a bit of news.

For the edification of these fast journals we will say that if the Nashville ever went to Europe, she has got back in marvelously quick time; for we saw her yesterday, securely moored to the wharf, with her furnaces as cold as Yankee charity.

’

A dangerous policy.

The Calhoun (S. C.)Flag, of a recent date, publishes the following well-timed hints in regard to the impropriety of military officers seeking positions which might disqualify them from giving proper attention to the highly important and responsible positions which they occupy in the Confederate service:

‘
We notice in various districts in this State, as well as other places in the Confederate States, the Colonels, Lieut. Colonels and Majors, who are now in service in the regular army, are announcing themselves as candidates for Congress, a policy we think very dangerous.
When men have taken position in the army, they have about as much as they can attend to, if they do their duty, without asking to serve the people in the capacity of legislators.
Besides, sometimes, between different men of this class, a contention will, as a matter of course, arise between their different commands, and before we are aware of it, we will have contentions among the civil and military, that will be difficult to settle or get along with.
If a thirst for office was an entering wedge to the dissolution of the old Government, how much more dangerous is a thirst for double office in the new Government.
We are truly sorrow to see such things in the infancy of a Government promising so much good to the people who compose it.

’

Prompt action of the Augusta banks.

The Augusta (Ga.)Constitutionalist, of the 19th, contains the following item:

‘
W. B. Johnston, Esq., the Agent of the Confederate Government, was in our city yesterday, and called upon the banks to ask them to take a part of a $10,000,000 loan, for immediate use to pay off the volunteers — the Government being unable to get their Treasury notes ready in time.

The banks in Charleston have taken $5,000,000 of the loan, and the banks here will take from $2,000,000 to $3,000,000--one bank having taken $500,000, and another $300,000 or $400,000. The others say they will take their full proportion as soon as the notes can be got ready.
The rate of interest charged is 5 per cent.

’

Death of a Judge.

The CharlotteDemocrat contains the announcement of the death of Hon. J. M. Dick one of the Judges of the Superior Court of North Carolina, while on his Circuit in the Eastern part of the State.
He was the oldest Judge by commission on the Superior Court bench.
He died in county, on the 15th inst. aged 73 years.

Shoe Peg Invention.

‘
Mr. A. D. Brown, Sr., of this city, has invented and put into practical operation a machine for manufacturing shoe pegs, another article which the Hessians thought the blockade would deprive us of. The machine can be worked at any requisite gauge and the pegs can therefore be made of any size and the points any desired angle.
At present, about a barrel of pegs or more can be successfully turned out in a day by the aid of this machine.

’

Leather Tanned by a New process.

The Savannah Republican, of the 19th, contains the following in relation to a new process for tanning leather:

--I enclose to you a piece of calf-skin tanned by me with a weed called the Dog Fennel, for which I have obtained a patent (No. 22) from the Confederate States Government.
I claim that I can tan and make better leather, in one-third less time, with one-third the bark, and save from 30 to 40 per cent. This piece was tanned in 20 days, and I think it as good as French calf.
I am prepared to dispose of Rights in all the Confederate States of America, except South Carolina, which I have disposed of.

‘"The sample of calf skin referred to above has come to hand, and we shall take pleasure in exhibiting it to all who feel an interest in the leather trade.
We have never seen a prettier article, and in point of strength it is remarkable.
It is almost incredible that such leather should be tanned in the short space of twenty days; and the wonder increases when we reflect that the rapid process is effected through the agency of a weed that abounds in almost every old field of the South."’

The sequestration act will, it is said, operate to the extent of securing to the South more than one million of dollars in Arkansas.
The Democrat says that Mr. Woodruff, of Little Rock, has the largest land agency of any person in that State.
It has been estimated that he controls or has charge of at least half a million dollars worth of property owned by parties resident in the Northern States.
Of course, all this will be sequestrated.

‘"Lo ! the Poor slave."’

The West Baton Rouge Sugar Planter, of the 7th, says:

‘
One of the committee appointed to collect the blankets, &c., in this parish, for the volunteers, says that in his tour he received several from slaves, and that, too, without hesitation or without being asked, the new blankets given them by their masters for winter use. Are not such donations more patriotic than those of the richest white men?
As soon as this fact became known, the ‘"poor, down-trodden slaves"’ were doubly compensated for their temporary deprivation.

’

The news from the Potomac — injury to the Pawnee Confirmed.

The Fredericksburg Recorder, of the 23d inst. says:

‘
We have advices from Evansport covering all that has happened since our last issue up to a late hour yesterday.
As yet the river is not effectually closed against small crafts, many of them being of such light burthen as to be able to pass the batteries safely by running in shallow water close to the Maryland shore.
No large vessel, war or merchantman has, however, attempted to lift the blockade, and we rather suspect they will hardly dare to do so single handed.
But the vigilant eyes of our watchful men never permit anything to pass without letting them understand that ‘"we are about."’ At first the ‘"small fry"’ passed without much trouble, but the practice of our gunners is giving them much more proficiency.
And on Sunday morning several shots passed between the fore and mizzen mast of a schooner which was passing upwards.

On Saturday morning last two schooners, towed by a tug, came along, but were no sooner in night than the batteries opened fire upon them.
At the same time Col. Wigfall, of Texas, aided by Captain Martin and Lieut. Carrington, of Arkansas, and some others, went out in a small boat with a view of effecting captures.
The tug, not shing the last shot, cut loose from the vessels and literally flew up the stream.
The crews aboard the schooners, perceiving the purposes of the party, he took themselves to their boats and made for the Maryland shore.
The vessels, of course, were readily taken, and were found to be the Fairfax, of New York city, laden with hay and cement, and the Virginia Washington, laden with wood, from some point down the river.
Both were very acceptable prizes, and were at once conveyed to a safe place under the cover of our guns.
Several of our balls were found imbedded in the hay. The gentleman giving us this information says that he has seen a Northern paper which confirms the opinion of our men that the vessel struck last Wednesday morning was the ‘"Pawnee."’

This paper stated that the first gun fired from our batteries being loaded with hot shot struck the ship and fired it to such an extent as to require the closing of the powder magazine, and the services of all the men in extinguishing it and keeping the vessel from sinking, and further said that she had gone ashore on the Maryland side to make temporary repairs in order to leave the river.

Yesterday evening there were some five or six war vessels and four or five transports lying off the creek, but they all quit and went down the river just as the train was leaving for town.

A landlord Cowhided in New Orleans.

The New Orleans Bee has the following in relation to an affair which occurred in that city on Wednesday last:

‘
A certain landlord, who has probably more money than wit, received a severe castigation, Wednesday evening, at the hands of a fair tenant, whose husband is a volunteer in Virginia.
The story is that she owed him an amount for rent, which he wished to make the grounds of an ungenerous advantage.
After pretending to give her assent to his proposition that he should call upon her in the evening, she procured the amount of her indebtedness and the assistance of two male relatives.
When he made his appearance she required him to receive the money and sign a receipt, after which she exhibited a cowhide, with which she considerably expedited his departure from the premises, and taught him a lesson he will not be apt to forget.

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